New Facebook tool to help users check Russian activity

San Francisco, Nov 23 (IANS) In a move to tackle Russian activity on its platform, Facebook has announced to create a tool where users can see if they are engaged with Pages linked to Russian propaganda.

The tool will enable people on Facebook to learn which of its Pages or Instagram accounts backed by Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency they may have liked or followed between January 2015 and August 2017.

“This tool will be available for use by the end of the year in the Facebook Help Centre,” the social media giant said in a statement on Thursday.

Facebook, along with Google and Twitter, are facing scrutiny over the presence of Russian content in their respective platforms during the 2016 US presidential election.

“It is important that people understand how foreign actors tried to sow division and mistrust using Facebook before and after the 2016 US election.

“That’s why as we have discovered information, we have continually come forward to share it publicly and have provided it to congressional investigators. And it’s also why we’re building the tool,” the company added.

Nearly 126 million Facebook users might have seen the content produced and circulated by Russian operatives to influence the election results.

After scrutiny by the Congressional investigators, the tech giants have been working hard to make political ads more transparent.

Facebook has vowed to make political ads more transparent, allowing users of the social network to know more about the advertisers which may include their identity and location.

“A few weeks ago, we shared our plans to increase the transparency of advertising on Facebook.

“This is part of our ongoing effort to protect our platforms and the people who use them from bad actors who try to undermine our democracy,” Facebook said.